to Genesis chapter 39. Genesis is at the beginning of the Bible.
We're following along the life of Joseph. And again, if you've missed any of the talks,
they're recorded for you on the Carragalline Baptist Church website. You can find a list of
all the talks, and they've been provided for you to follow up on. So we're going to read
Genesis chapter 39, all of it. They're wonderful accounts, wonderful true accounts that can teach
us and help us. So let's hear God's word. Genesis 39, starting at verse 1.
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian, who was one of Pharaoh's officials,
the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
When his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord gave him success in everything he
did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his
household and entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his
household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.
The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.
So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care with Joseph in charge. He did not concern himself
with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well built and handsome, and after a while his
master's wife took notice of Joseph's wife took notice of Joseph and said, come to bed with me.
But he refused. With me in charge, he told her, my master does not concern himself with anything in the
house. Everything he owns he is entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am.
My master has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. How then could I do such a
wicked thing and sin against God? And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed
with her or even be with her. One day he went to the house to his attendants for his duties, and none of the
household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, come to bed with me. But he left his cloak in
her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the
house, she called her household servants. Look, she said to them, this Hebrew has been brought to us to make
sport of us. He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak
beside me and ran out of the house. She kept his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.
She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story. That Hebrew slave you bought
has come to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the
house. When his master heard the story, his wife told him, saying, this is how your slave treated me.
He burned with anger. Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him. He showed him kindness and granted him favour in the
eyes of the eyes of the prison warder. So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison and he was made
responsible of all that was done there. The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care because the Lord
was with Joseph was with Joseph and gave him success, whatever he did.
Well, let's pray together and we'll look at God's word. Let's pray.
Father, you are good and kind. And you have shown that by giving to us your word.
These true accounts of lives in the past.
That teach us and encourage us today.
And so we pray that you would speak to us afresh, that we would focus upon you.
And you would build us up in our walk and in our faith in you.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
Well done. I didn't think you would say it.
That's right. The Lord be with you and also with you.
Now, what are we asking when we say the Lord be with you?
What are we asking?
We say it all the time when we pray, especially when we don't quite know what to pray.
Lord, be with Amy in Sheffield.
Lord, be with the Rock and Rooted team.
Lord, be with Liz today in hospital.
Lord, be with because they're having a bad time.
What are we actually asking for when we say the Lord be with you?
Well, I think the answer to that question is found in Genesis 39.
When God is with you, it makes all the difference.
We're going to look at two big things.
There's a bit of crossover with both of these ideas.
But I think together they will help us see what it means that the Lord is with us.
Two big things.
That God is present and God is working.
God is present and God is working.
So first, God is present in the downs and ups of life.
Whatever our experiences and circumstances, God is present.
First, he's present in our suffering in the downs.
Joseph, you remember, had been sold off to a bunch of slave traders by his brothers.
So we pick up the story when Joseph is in a downer.
Verse 1.
Now, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt.
Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard,
bought Joseph from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
Now, whatever way, whatever angle we look at this, it's not good, is it?
Joseph's in a bad situation because slaves, well, they don't have rights
and you don't enjoy a comfortable or restful life.
Clearly, God is absent from Joseph's life.
After all, if God is with you, you don't suffer, do you?
Wrong.
Look at verse 2.
The Lord was with Joseph.
God hadn't gone anywhere.
God was right there with Joseph when his brothers had sold him
and when Potiphar had bought him.
You see, just because life isn't going wonderfully well,
that doesn't mean to say God has gone AWOL.
Just because this isn't the way we would plan or design our life,
that doesn't mean God has stopped working in our life.
No, God is present in our suffering.
And it's also true that God is present in our successes when we're on the up.
Joseph may be a slave with nothing to his name, but all that was to change.
Verse 2.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.
But when things are going good, of course, God is present.
I mean, even Potiphar could see that.
Verse 3.
When his master saw that the Lord was with Joseph and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did.
Well, Joseph was on the up.
So it's obvious that God was with him.
But what would happen to Joseph when things went down again?
What then?
Well, have a look at the very end of the story because things did take another nasty turn.
Look at the end of the story.
Verse 20.
Joseph's master took him, put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.
Does that mean God has gone absent?
Well, while Joseph was there in the prison, verse 21, the Lord was with him.
You see, we tend to view God like this.
If we're winning, if things are going well in our life, God is present.
But if we're losing, if things are going badly, then God is absent.
And we bring that kind of notion with us through the day.
So if the day is sunny, unlike today, and the kids are good,
and you find the parking spot that you need,
Oh, God is with me.
But if I go to the doctor and I receive some bad news,
well then God is not with me.
Or if you go to work and the boss calls you into the office to give you a raise,
we can proudly say, God is present.
But when my car breaks down on the way home and it costs me a fortune to fix,
well then we think, God must be absent.
But that's not how God works.
The account of Joseph enforces the reality that God is always present,
and God is always at work.
Because our suffering is not a sign that God is absent,
any more than our success is a sign that God is present.
God is with us in the downs and the ups and the downs again of life.
In fact, God is with you to bless those around you.
So he's present in our suffering, in our success,
and he's present with us in those times so that we can bless others.
God was present with Joseph,
and the reason is so that he would bless those he came in contact with.
So verse 5.
From the time Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household and of all that he owned,
the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian.
The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had,
both in the house and in the field.
Blessings rained down on Potiphar in the home and at his workplace.
Joseph was that means of blessing.
Now that shouldn't be a surprise to us.
Have a look back with me to Genesis chapter 28.
Genesis chapter 28.
If we went back further,
we'll remember that God made a promise to Abraham
that he would be a blessing to all the nations.
And so that promise continues.
We pick it up in chapter 28, verse 14.
God is speaking to Jacob, Joseph's father.
Verse 14 he says,
Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth
and you will spread out to the west and to the east,
to the north and to the south.
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
I am with you and I will watch over you wherever you go
and I will bring you back to this land.
I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
You see, God had made this promise
that through the family of Abraham,
through Isaac, through Jacob, through Joseph,
God was going to bring his blessing
and he promised that he would never ever leave them
until he had done what he had promised
and that was to bless the nations.
So back to chapter 39.
So Joseph is part of that great promise.
God was with Joseph,
bringing him all the way from Canaan to Egypt,
from his own family to Potiphar's family,
so that they would experience the blessing of God
in their own lives.
God was with Joseph in the downtimes
and in the uptimes,
so that Potiphar, a pagan ruler,
living in a foreign land,
might see that God is good and gracious.
You see, is that not the calling of God's people today?
Is that not the calling for the church today?
Whatever situation we find ourselves in,
remember the words of Jesus,
go and make disciples of all nations,
go and bring the blessing of the gospel,
the good news of God's grace and mercy
to all peoples
and remember his promise
and I am always with you
to the very end of the age.
You see, God is actively present in our life.
It might be that God brings you into a hospital bed.
It may be that God will give you a job promotion.
But whatever season of life we find ourselves in,
whether we're on the up or on the way down,
God is present in your suffering.
He's present in your success
so that we might declare the blessing of God.
That if we're in a season of suffering,
we might be able to say,
God is good and gracious.
That if we're in a time of blessing,
we might be able to say,
God is sufficient and God is enough.
So when we pray the prayer,
Lord, be with,
we're asking that God would work through them
in such a way
that they would bring the blessing of the gospel,
the good news of Christ,
so that they too may be blessed.
So first,
God is present in our downs
and in our ups.
The second big idea
is this,
God is at work in the temptations
and trials of life.
God is at work in the temptations
and trials of life.
Joseph,
at the end of verse 6,
is in a good place.
He's risen through the ranks
to become the right-hand man
of one of the most powerful men
in all of Egypt.
But that doesn't mean
he's going to be immune to struggles.
First,
God is working
in our temptations.
Look at the end of verse 6.
Now Joseph was well built
and handsome.
He had a six-pack
and had the chiseled chin.
Something that had not gone unnoticed
by a particular lady.
Verse 7.
After a while,
his master's wife
took notice of Joseph
and said,
Come to bed with me.
You see,
sometimes looks aren't everything,
are they?
Sometimes they bring
unwanted attention.
And it was becoming
a real struggle
for Joseph.
Joseph's temptation
is sudden.
It's directed.
It's constant.
And it seems
that there is no let-up.
On and on it goes.
Sorry,
can you turn it up, Rob?
Because I'm shouting
more and more.
Thank you.
Thanks very much.
God is present
when it's raining.
Don't worry.
Joseph's temptation
temptation is sudden.
It's directed.
It's constant.
And it seems
that in his temptation
there's no let-up.
On and on
it goes.
Every single day.
Come on,
Joseph.
I know you want to.
Come on,
just come and sit
beside me.
Just a kiss.
That's all.
On and on
the temptation goes.
Now,
why doesn't God
step in?
Why doesn't God
just make it all
stop?
In fact,
why did God
make Joseph
so good-looking
in the first place?
If Joseph
had been just,
well,
not Joseph,
but an ordinary
Joe,
he would never
have had this issue.
Is God
absent again?
No,
God is at work
in and through
the temptation.
Look,
despite the
ongoing pressure,
look at verse 10.
And though she spoke
to Joseph
day after day,
he refused
to go to bed
with her
or even
be with her.
how did
Joseph
resist?
How did
he not
give in?
Well,
look at his
response.
It came in
verse 9.
No one is
greater in this
house than I am.
My master
has withheld
nothing from
me
except you
because
you are
his wife.
Look,
he's saying,
I respect
my master.
And I
respect
you.
But above
all of that,
end of verse 9,
how then
could I do
such a wicked
thing
and sin
against God?
You see,
Joseph is saying,
look,
you promised
me so much,
but I love
God
more.
God is
enough for me.
God is
sufficient for me.
I don't
need anything
else
or anyone
else.
you see,
temptations
reveal
where our
heart is,
what we
most
love.
They
highlight
where we're
most weak
and where
we're most
vulnerable.
In fact,
temptations
keep us
humble.
Instead of
thinking,
I can handle
this,
I've got
this,
temptation
throws us
back in
God,
in desperation
because we
need him.
You see,
God never
tempts us,
but God
uses the
temptations
we face
to show
our ongoing
need of
God.
Joseph
faced
temptation
and we
all face
temptation.
For some
of us
it's sexual,
for others
it will be
a desire
for wealth
and for
power.
It can be
subtle things
like a love
of comfort
or a
longing to
be popular
amongst our
friends.
Basically,
temptation is
anything that
comes alongside
us and
says,
unless you
have this
in your
life,
your life
is empty,
you're
unfulfilled.
And we
struggle when
those temptations
come in.
And maybe
we ask,
why doesn't
God step
in?
Why doesn't
God take
away this
temptation?
Why do
I constantly
have to
fight and
battle day
after day?
Well,
temptations
reveal our
weakness.
They throw
us back
to God
so that
we can
see that
God is
enough
and God
is sufficient.
That's what
it was for
Joseph.
All that
he needed,
all that
he ever
required
was in
God.
He didn't
need
anything
else.
You see,
temptations
grow us
and they
strengthen
us as
we depend
upon
God.
So God
is at
work
through
our
temptations
and God
is working
through
our
trials.
The
pressure
was enormous
for
Joseph.
Eventually
someone
or something
was going
to give.
look at
verse 11.
One day
he went
into the
house
to attend
to his
duties
and none
of the
household
servants
were inside.
She
caught
Joseph
by his
cloak
and said,
come to
bed with
me.
Well,
the timing
was perfect.
She
caught him
by surprise.
They
were alone.
No
one
would
ever
know.
What
was
Joseph
going
to
do?
Well,
it seems
the work
that God
had been
doing in
Joseph's
life over
the weeks
and over
the months
strengthened
him,
gave him
bottle for
what was
going to be
his biggest
test yet.
Look at
the end
of verse
12.
come to
bed with
me.
But he
left his
cloak
and ran
out of
the house.
At this
point we
might say,
well,
all's well
that ends
well.
Perhaps
she will
finally give
up chasing
Joseph and
run after
somebody else.
After all,
God owes
Joseph,
doesn't
he?
Joseph
deserves a
break for
saying no
all of
these years.
But that's
not how
the account
ends.
It goes
from temptation
to trial.
Potiphar's
wife went
ballistic.
She cries
out,
rape!
You wait
until Potiphar
gets home.
Look at
verse 17.
Then she
told him
this story.
The Hebrew
slave you
brought us
came to
me to
make sport
of me.
But as
soon as I
screamed for
help,
he left
his cloak
beside me
and ran
out of
the house.
Poor
Joseph!
It seems
he doesn't
even get
a chance
to be
able to
relay or
tell his
side of
the story.
And
Potiphar
sees red,
verse 19.
When his
master heard
the story,
his wife
told him,
saying,
this is how
your slave
treated me.
He burned
with anger
and Joseph's
master took
him, put
him in
prison, the
place where
the king's
prisoners were
confined.
Where's
God when
you need
him?
Joseph had
done everything
right.
He had been
loyal to
Potiphar, he
had been
obedient to
God, but
not only does
God not come
to him, or
so it seems,
God lets
this great
injustice
take place.
Even worse,
God leaves
him in a
stranded
prison.
No
intervention,
no miracle,
just a
dark dungeon.
Where is
God?
What is
God doing?
You see,
our expectation
is that if
we respect
others, if we
obey God,
God is
going to
work good
in your
life.
If you
resist temptation,
if you don't
sin, God's
going to rescue
you from
danger, he'll
heal you if
you're sick, he
will provide
with you all
that you want.
Just do the
right thing, and
then all the bad
stuff is going to
go away, right?
not so.
Joseph had
done nothing
wrong.
He had done
everything God
had asked of
him, but yet
trials is what
God brought
Joseph through.
You see, God
is always
present.
He is always
working in our
lives, regardless
of how bad or
difficult the
situation may be.
In fact, God
is always
working for
our good.
God is
working for
our good.
God was
present with
Joseph, and
God was at
work.
So why, why
did God leave
Joseph in
prison?
Well, look at
the end of
verse 20.
while Joseph
was there in
prison, the
Lord was
with him, and
God showed
him kindness
and granted
him favour in
the eyes of
the prison
warder.
So the
warder put
Joseph in
charge of all
those held in
the prison, and
he was made
responsible for
all that was
done there.
It sounds
very familiar,
doesn't it?
Do you
remember the
beginning of
this account?
It's like we've
been here before.
It's a similar
turn of events.
Joseph's
accommodation may
be different.
He's in a
dungeon, not
in a mansion,
but there's a
familiarity about
it.
There's this
expectation that,
well, God
could be at
work in the
prison too.
You see, if
God brought
Joseph to
Egypt, if
God caused
Joseph to be
a blessing
to a
pagan
general,
don't you
think that
God has a
purpose for
Joseph in
prison?
We're not
told yet what
that purpose
is.
We need to
keep reading
to find out.
But we are
given an
assurance,
aren't we?
Look at the
end of verse
23.
the Lord
was with
Joseph and
gave him
success in
whatever he
did.
So when we
pray,
Lord be
with so
and so,
well, what
we're saying
is we're
asking,
Lord, would
you enable
that person
to trust
them in
their difficult
and struggling
time to
trust that
you are
working out
good purposes
for them
and for
others.
God is
working in
our temptations
and in our
trials for
good.
So you
see, as we
follow the
life of
Joseph, in
all his
downs and
ups, as
we watch
Joseph go
through his
trials and
through his
temptations,
isn't it so
similar to
our own
life and
our own
pattern?
And we
ask the
question,
where is
God?
Is God
working?
Well, God
is present
with you.
He never
leaves you.
He is
always at
work in
your life.
Whether it's
a time of
suffering to
show to
others that
God is
enough and
he is
sufficient.
even in
our
successful
times and
in the
best of
days, God
is with
you to
show that
God is
good and
gracious, that
he has
given you
all that
you need.
And when
we find
ourselves in
a time of
trial and
we're wondering
what's going
on, yes,
God's purposes
are being
worked out.
He is
strengthening
you.
He is
making you
strong so
that in
your life,
where you
are, you
can bring
God's
blessing to
others.
Let's pray
together.
Amen.
Father, thank
you that you
are present
with us
today.
And as we
go into
this new
week, while
the week is
unknown to
us, we
do not
know what
will unfold
before us.
We thank
you that you
are enough
and you
will be
sufficient.
Thank you,
Father, that
you are at
work in us
and through
us so that
we can
bless others
and show
others that
you are
good and
you are
kind and
meet us in
all of our
need.
So help us
to go with
confidence,
trusting you
and being
strengthened by
you.
In Jesus'
name,
Amen.
We're
going to
sing
together.
Mine are
days that
God has
numbered, I
was made
to walk
with you.